Phaethon and the Sun Chariot

E-twinning project 2012-2013

"Tell me a story, we will be friends" December 2012 1st Primary School of Ovrya, Patra, Greece Participating schools

1st Primary School of Ovrya, Patra, Greece Scoala MATEI BASARAB, Târgoviște, Romania Základní škola Emila Zátopka, Zlín, Czech Republic Saint André les Alpes, SAINT ANDRE LES ALPES, France KARAPINAR İLKÖĞRETİM OKULU, Karasu, Turkey

ANCIENT GREEK MYTHOLOGY Phaethon and the Sun Chariot

Phaethon was the son of Helios (the Sun God) and Clymene.

One day Phaethon asked his father to let him drive his chariot, the chariot of the sun. His father warned him that it wouldn’t be easy but Phaethon insisted. Finally his father gave him the chariot.

1st Primary School of Ovrya, Patra, Greece

Phaethon set off but when he met Scorpio he was scared and lost control of the horses, which came too near the Earth and began to burn it.

1st Primary School of Ovrya, Patra, Greece

To prevent further damage, Zeus killed Phaethon with a thunderbolt. His body fell into the Eridanus river. His sisters, the Heliades, mourned for him so much that the gods turned them into poplars on the banks of the river so that they could stand by his side forever.

1st Primary School of Ovrya, Patra, Greece

The astronomers, inspired by this myth, gave his name to an asteroid, which was found in 1983 and is very close to the Sun. They called it “Phaethon 3200”.

THE END

1st Primary School of Ovrya, Patra, Greece